Monaci delle Terre Nere is a stunning contemporary boutique hotel on the slopes of Mount Etna, Sicily in the little town of Zafferana Etnea, half way between the volcano and the beaches of Arcireale. Designed and created by owner Guido Coffa thissix room hideaway will soon become your secret and one which you won’t want to share. This 18th-century house has been meticulously transformed into a refuge of design and style against the backdrop of original stone walls and features which have been kept and restored wherever possible. The traditional Sicilian architecture is the ideal canvas for the contemporary art displayed throughout this pocket gem.

Each of the six suites are filled with light and tastefully decorated and designed with glass, wood and stone. All have a modern twist; some have original frescoeson the ceiling, others with open fireplaces and designer free-standing baths. There is a real feeling of space in all of the rooms whichever one you choose to book and plenty of personal touches and attention to detail to really make you feel welcome and looked after.

Rates for this stunning retreat runs from $190 – $315 per night, from here.

Wow. Such tacky furnishings and hideous colors for such a masterpiece of historic and natural beauty. Leave it to the Southern European designers to try to overcompensate with modernism in inappropriate settings. In Northern Europe or North America, this hotel would have been decked out with carefully-selected period antiques. I’d like to drive a huge garbage truck to this hotel and relieve it of all its modern furnishings. Then we could start from scratch and do it right.